In 1980, conservatives, moderates and even a number of independent minded liberals banded together on behalf of a candidate who proposed common sense solutions to the twin problems of the Cold War and the stale economy.

They did so because they believed that the solutions offered by Candidate Reagan were necessary and that the alternative, the policies of Jimmy Carter, would be disastrous on both fronts.

Now, as then, we are faced with two conflicting philosophies on the economy and on our strength as a nation. While John McCain proposes a sensible policy of military readiness that’s strong enough to deter attacks, the other side proposes nothing less than the dismantling of needed military missions and of national security imperatives.

On the economy, John McCain takes a sensible approach. He favors responsible tax policy and opposes tax increases that would take more money out of the hands of working families, and in doing so, out of the general economy.

Conversely, while Democrats have long ago broken with the JFK ideal of lowering taxes to stimulate economic growth, their advocacy of higher taxes during an economic downturn is a disaster of Jimmy Carter proportions. It should also be noted that their refusal to extend the Bush tax cuts to even the lower and middle class may one day end up reversing the tax cut of the lowest income bracket from 15 to 10%, resulting in a 50% tax increase for the lowest wage earners in America.

John McCain is the sensible choice in an election in which the future of the nation is at stake. McCain has been a lone voice for fiscal discipline for over 25 years. His fights for spending cuts, while originally unpopular in pork barrel D.C., proved to be of absolute necessity. The US is currently in danger of losing its international credit rating, solely due to runaway spending. We should have listened to McCain sooner.

On military issues, John McCain is more experienced than any president since Eisenhower. Aside from being the son and grandson of top Navy admirals (his father also served as Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Command), McCain has shown excellent military judgment in his own right, having supported the Reagan build-up, a detailed and comprehensive Iraq strategy that works and the revamping of our national security operations. McCain has shown sound judgment on both the economy and military fronts and that makes him the man for the job.

And just as conservatives and passionate moderates and independents came together for Reagan, they are doing so for McCain. Sure, that’s not the impression you get listening to the news through the mainstream media, but what else is new? They’re still wondering who, if anyone, voted for Ronald Reagan. They’re all too happy to feature those who have reservations about McCain, ironically all people who the media usually chooses to malign, ignore and to sideline, except when they’re speaking out against the Republican Nominee.

To see the extent and the depth of McCain’s support, you need to look to the grassroots. And on that level, the groundswell of support is shocking, transcending the barriers of conservative and liberal and cutting across all ages.

Such a level of support could already be seen during early primaries. It was then that hundreds of volunteers packed their bags and traveled from state to state, at their own expense, to set up primary offices in early states. While one of the other campaigns paid their volunteers to do the same, many more excited and enthusiastic activists paid their way to join Team McCain. The volunteers I saw here in Florida were from all parts of the country, from Kansas, Arizona, Massachusetts, Louisiana and New York. They ranged from very conservative to quite moderate. But they had all paid their way and given much of their time to help elect John McCain.

Around the same time, just before the Florida primary, I was speaking to a local GOP group about why McCain is the best candidate. I was preceded by two people close to the Giuliani campaign, who spoke on behalf of their candidate for about half an hour. When they started taking questions, one senior lady in the audience asked a zinger having to do with their candidate’s character. Both men had no answer and were flummoxed. After I spoke in support of the Senator, the same lady came over to me and in a heartfelt manner that only a lady in her late 70s or beyond can properly convey, expressed how much she admired McCain’s character and decency. She spoke in a way that hasn’t been heard since Reagan and to say the least, she’s not alone.

Throughout the campaign, a group of volunteer bloggers have been working tirelessly to get the word out for McCain. They’re paid as much as the National Treasury will have if Obama ever gets the keys to the White House (meaning about $1,000 less than what we colloquially refer to as a “grand”). Blogs for McCain, http://www.blogs4McCain.com, contains some of the best links for information of the Senator, the latest news and the issues facing our nation. Lead members of the blogging sites have also formed GoogleGroups for McCain, consisting a large, general one and smaller ones for each state. One blogger, known as Larry from Boston, started http://www.unitemccain.com and seeks to get 1,000,000 members to sign up who agree with the statement that “If John McCain becomes our next President of the United States, this country will be a safer place for our family and friends.”

These are all grassroots actions. In a year when there was no clear frontrunner, tens of thousands of volunteers got involved to support a candidate who has always fought for what he believed was best for the country, though he always has the sound judgment seek the counsel of experts beforehand. Their respect for the man’s rare record of public service and their belief in the need for sensible security and economic policies is what brought them together. And this is just the beginning.

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